The present invention relates to devices for removing or loosening fasteners and, more particularly, to improved tools for splitting and breaking nuts and the like.
In the prior art, a variety or problems are encountered in the removal of nuts from the ends of threaded shafts. In particular, in the maintenance and repair of automobiles, mechanics often have great difficulty in removing nuts which are frozen to the end of a threaded shaft due to rust or other corrosion. The problems of nut removal are additionally compounded by the fact that the nuts are often located in inaccessible areas or where space for tool use may be restricted. While a variety of tools have been proposed to facilitate the removal of such frozen nuts, each has been limited for use under special circumstances or conditions.
In one prior known technique for nut removal, the tools employ a splitting blade pivotally mounted within a housing and forced into cutting contact with a nut by the wedge action of a member moving within the housing. While such tools are capable of splitting nuts, a different tool must be used for each different size nut in order to provide proper cutting action without damaging the threads on the shaft from which the nut is being removed. In addition, such tools are incapable of accommodating studs or shafts beyond a certain length and are therefore restricted to use under special circumstances.
In another known technique for nut removal, the action of a camming surface is used to cause movement of two pivotally mounted cam followers, one of which has a cutting surface at one end and the other an anvil surface at one end. When the tool is applied to a nut, the cutting surface and anvil are placed on opposite sides of the nut and the cutting surface moved to sever the nut. However, in order for proper cutting to be achieved, and stud damage to be minimized, special adjustments must be made for each different size nut. Likewise, the tool cannot be used on nuts attached to studs or shafts beyond a certain length.
In still another prior known technique for nut removal, a pivotally mounted arm is used to force a nut into engagement with a cutting surface upon rotation of a bolt bearing against one end of the pivoted arm. While the tool provides for adjustment of the cutting surface in order to allow tool access to a nut from various positions, the tool configuration still requires substantial space for manipulation and operation.
Other numerous tools and techniques are known for nut removal but each is restricted to specific applications and is limited in effectiveness. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to overcome the shortcomings of the above known and similar techniques and to provide an improved and inexpensive tool for splitting and severing nuts and the like.